Bellows-operating pedal.



M. CLARK.

BELLOWS OPERATING PEDAL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16, 1913.

1,081,948, Patented D6923, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO MELVILLE CLARK PIANO COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

IBELLOWS-OPERATING PEDAL.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MELVILLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bellows-Operating Pedal, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction of pedal for operating the bellows of a musical instru-. ment, the details being particularly designed for rendering the action of the pedal easy and also permitting it to fold up within or against the case.

In the drawings:Figure 1 is a vertical fore-and-aft section of the lower portion of a musical instrument having a pumper-operating pedal embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow, 22, on Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detail side elevation of the forward portion of the device. Fig. 4c is a view similar to 25 Fig, 3 showing a detail modification.

The drawings represent in a conventional manner the framework of the lower part of a musical instrument in which there is mounted a pumper bellows.

1 represents the front panel of the instrument case at the lower part in front of the upper bellows.

2 represents a fixed board upon which the pumper bellows, 3, is mounted.

at is the bottom board of the case.

. 6 is an arm extending rigidly from the lower side of the moving wall, 5, of one of the pumpers for operating the latter.

7, 7 are side bars of the pedal frame. They are pivoted at their rear ends on the forward side of the board, 2, and in operative position extend thence down and forward through the opening, 1 (closed by the slide, 1,) in the front panel, 1, to reach the floor for support thereon during operation of the pedals. The side bars are curved upward and forward from the point at which they rest upon the floor, and at their upper ends are connected by a cross bar, 8, and an additional cross bar, 8, may be provided at any convenient position to stiffen the frame which comprises said two side bars and the connecting cross bars. Pedals, 10, 10, are pivoted at their heels on the cross bar, 8 Levers, 11, 11, are pivoted at their Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 16, 1913.

Patented Dec.23, 1913.

Serial No. 742,347.

forward ends to the side bars, 7, 7 respectively, and in the operative position of the pedals each of these levers extends up, thence rearward, and is connected at its upper rear ends by a link, 12, with the rigid arms, 6, of one of the pumpers. The levers, l1, 11, are in vertical planes situated outside of the outer lateral edges of the pedals, 10, 10, respectively, and in the principal form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, said pedals are connected to the levers, 11, 11, respectively, by short links, 13, 13, pivoted on the outer side of the pedals and inner side of the levers. The levers, 11, 11, extend substantially parallel to the pedals, 10, 10, at the rest position of the pedals, and the pivotal connection of the links, 13, to the pedals is nearer the fulcrum of the pedals than the pivotal connection of said links to the levers, 11, is to the fulcrum of the levers. As illustrated in the drawings, the pivot of the link, 13, to. the pedal, 10, is about one-fourth of the length of the pedal forward of the fulcrum of the latter, and the pivot of said link to the lever, 13, is about two-fifths of the length of said lever forward of the fulcrum of the lever.

WVhen thus connected, it will be seen that for every three inches movement of the toe of the pedal, the forward end of the lever will move one and seven-eighths inches, so that the pumper will be operated by an easier or lighter pressure of the foot than if it were connected directly with the toe of the pedal, only a little more than threefourths as much pressure being necessary to operate the pumper under given circumstances as would be necessary if .the connection were directly from the toe of the pedal to the pumper. The pivots of the link, 13, to the pedal and to the lever, 11, are movable along said pedal and lever, so that the ratio of pedal pressure to pumper resistance may be varied to suit the convenience of the operator. If, for example, the pivots of the link, 13, are moved to the position shown in dotted line on Fi 1, the pivot to the pedal being distant from the fulcrum one-sixth of the length of the pedal, and the pivot to the lever being distant from the lever fulcrum one-third of the lever-length, the ratio of pedal pressure to pumper resistance will be one-half; that is, only half as much pressure will be required on the pedal to operate the pumper at a given tension of the bellows as if the pumper were directly connected to the toe of the pedal.

The lengths of the levers, 11, and the links, 12, are proportioned with respect to the length of the side bars, 7, of the pedal frame; that is, the distances from the pivots of said bars on the board, 2, to the cross bar, 8, on which the pedals are fulcrumed, are such as to permit the entire device to fold up against the board, 2, behind the front panel, 1, of the case, as seen in dotted line in Fig. 1. Preferably, in order that the parts may tend to remain in the folded position without liability to fall too easily therefrom, the sum of the length of the lever, 11, and link, 12, measuring from pivot to pivot in each case is made a little greater than the distance of the pivot of the link, 12, on the arm, 6, at the rest position of the pumper from the intersection of the line of the link, 12, extended with the are described by the fulcrum of the lever, 11, in the swinging of the side bar about its pivot. This results in forcing back the pumper arm, 6, a short distance in order to swing the side bars up to the dotted-line position of Fig. 1, causing the joint between the lever, 11, and the link, 12, to buckle forward, and the pumper spring operating to hold the arm, 6, at foremost position tends to hold all the parts in the folded-up position, but so that by taking hold of the cross bar, 8, and pulling it forward, the joint between the link, 12, and the arm, 6, is buckled back and the parts descend to operative position shown in full line in Fig. 1.

Instead of using short links to connect each pedal with the lever which it is to operate, a roller may be interposed between the pedal and the lever mounted upon one of said parts and rolling upon the other part. In Fig. 4 there is illustrated such a structure having the roller, 15, mounted on the pedal and overhanging the edge of the lever, 11, so as to press and roll thereon as the pedal is operated.

I claim 1. In combination with a pumper and an instrument casing in which it is mounted; a pedal-supporting frame pivoted to a fixed part of the casing; a lever fulcrumed at its forward end on said frame; a link connecting its rear end with the pumper; a pedal fulcrumed at its forward end on said frame and means for transmitting movement from the pedal to the lever operatively engaged with the pedal and the lever at point-s intermediate the ends of said parts respectively, the ratio of the portion forward to the portion rearward of the point of engagement on the pedal being less than the ratio of the portion forward to the portion rearward of the point of engagement of the lever.

2. In combination with a pumper and an instrument casing in which it is mounted, a 'iedal-supporting frame pivoted to a fixed part of the casing; a lever fulcrumed at its forward end on said frame; a link connecting its rear end with the pumper; a pedal fulcrumed at its forward end on the frame; a link connecting the pedal and the lever pivoted to said parts respectively at points intermediate their ends, the ratio of the portion forward to the portion rearward of the pivot of the link on the pedal being less than the ratio of the portion forward to the portion rearward of the pivot of the link on the lever.

3. In combination with a pumper and an instrument casing in which it is mounted, a pedal-supporting frame pivoted to a fixed part of the casing; a lever fulcrumed at its forward end on said frame; a link connecting its rear end with the pumper; a pedal located laterally of the vertical plane of the lever and fulcrumed at its forward end on the frame, and means for transmitting movement from the pedal to the lever engaged with said'parts, respectively, at points intermediate the ends.

4. In combination with a pumper and an instrument casing in which it is mounted, a pedal-supporting frame pivoted to the fixed part of the case; a lever fulcrumed at its forward end on the frame; a link connecting its rear end with the pumper; a pedal located laterally of the vertical plane of the lever and fulcrumed at its forward end on the frame; a link connecting the pedal to the lever having its pivots to said parts respectively located intermediate the ends of each and positioned so as to extend at substantially the same angle to each at the position of rest of the pedal.

5. In combination with a pumper and an instrument casing in which it is mounted, a pedal-supporting frame pivoted to a fixed partof the casing; a lever fulcrumed at its forward end on said frame; a link connecting its rear end with the pumper; a pedal fulcrumed at its forward end on the frame, and means for transmitting movement from the pedal to the lever operat-ively engaged with said parts respectively intermediate the ends of each, said points of engagement being substantially equally distant from the forward ends of the pedal and the lever, and nearer to the rear end of the pedal than to the rear end of the lever.

6. In combination with a pumper and an instrument casing in which it is mounted, a pedal-supporting frame pivoted to a fixed part of the casing; a lever fulcrumed at its forward end on said frame; means connecting its rear end with the pumper; a pedal fulcrumed at its forward end on the frame, and means for transmitting movement from the pedal to the lever engaged with said parts respectively at points intermediate the ends of each, the fulcrum of the lever being further forward than the fulcrum of the pedal, and the ratio of th portion forward to the portion rearward of the point of engagement of said means on the pedal being less than the ratio of the portion forward to the portion rearward of the points of engagement on said means on the lever.

7. In combination with a pumper and an instrument casing in which it is mounted, a pedal-supporting frame pivoted to a fixed part of the casing; a lever fulcrumed at its forward end on said frame; a link connecting its rear end with the pumper; a pedal fulcrumed at its forward end on the frame, and means for transmitting movement from the pedal to the lever engaged with said parts respectively intermediate the ends of each; the relation of the lengths of (a) the link, (6) the lever from its fulcrum to the link pivot, and (0) the frame from its pivot to the lever fulcrum, being such that the distance along the line of the link extended a its position of rest from the pivot of the link on the pumper to the arc described by the lever fulcrum in the swinging of the frame about its pivot, is less than the sum of the length of the link and the lever, whereby the pumper is moved away from its rest position in swinging the frame upward and rearward past said line.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, this 13th day of January, 1913.

MELVILLE CLARK.

Witnesses:

LUCY I. STONE, M. GERTRUDE ADY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

